Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer are probably back together: A look at their roller-coaster relationship

Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer — who filed for divorce earlier this year — have been looking pretty cozy on Instagram as of late. The on-again, off-again couple could just be really friendly exes, but their romantic history points to something more. Ever since Palin, 27, and Meyer, 29, got together, their relationship has been filled with ups and downs.

Palin, the oldest of Sarah and Todd Palin’s five children, met Meyer — a former United States Marine — in 2014 while filming an episode of Amazing America With Sarah Palin in Alaska. They announced their engagement in March 2015. “Truly the luckiest girl in the world, cannot wait to marry this man!!!!” Bristol Palin wrote in a since-deleted Instagram.

Dakota Meyer and Bristol Palin (Photo: Getty Images)

Sarah Palin released a statement saying the family was thrilled. “We’re honored to welcome Dakota into our family. He’s an American hero and patriot whose service to our country — like all his fellow Medal of Honor recipients — has been above and beyond the call of duty; but even more important is he’s a good and kind man who loves Bristol and Tripp, and is loved by them,” she said. (Tripp is Bristol’s 9-year-old son with former fiancé Levi Johnston.)

Meyer and Bristol Palin were set to wed two months later, but called off their nuptials days before the May 23 ceremony. Some reports said it was because Meyer hid his previous 2008 marriage to Cassandra Wain from Bristol.

“Regarding salacious headlines in recent days about ‘secret wives,’ Dakota and I discussed our past relationships prior to our engagement. Dakota was legally divorced years ago, as any good reporter could and should have disclosed to readers,” Bristol Palin said in a statement. “As usual, false stories and dramatically written headlines begging controversy should be disregarded, and we have faith that our privacy will be respected at this time by those with decency.”

Sarah Palin added on Facebook, “Trust in God’s timing. It’s better to wait a while and have things fall into place than to rush and have things fall apart.”

God’s timing threw a curve ball when Bristol Palin discovered she was pregnant a month later. “Honestly, I’ve been trying my hardest to keep my chin up on this one,” she said. “At the end of the day, there’s nothing I can’t do with God by my side, and I know I am fully capable of handling anything that is put in front of me with dignity and grace.”

She continued, “I know this has been, and will be, a huge disappointment to my family, to my close friends, and to many of you. But please respect Tripp’s and my privacy during this time. I do not want any lectures and I do not want any sympathy.”

Meyer was not immediately confirmed to be the father, but Bristol Palin later said the pregnancy was planned. They welcomed their first child, daughter Sailor Grace, in December 2015.

Their bliss was soon clouded by drama when Meyer filed for joint legal and physical custody of Sailor. “For many months we have been trying to reach out to Dakota Myers [sic] and he has wanted nothing to do with either Bristol’s pregnancy or the baby,” Sarah Palin told Entertainment Tonight, claiming the move was to “save face.”

This wasn’t Bristol Palin’s first custody battle because she had a contentious one with Johnston that lasted seven years. Luckily, her legal woes with Meyer were resolved relatively quickly when they hashed out an arrangement in spring 2016. Weeks later, the family was looking happy together on Instagram and in May, she even changed Sailor’s last name legally to Meyer.

In June 2016, Bristol Palin was spotted wearing a diamond ring on that finger.

Palin and Meyer secretly tied the knot a month later. “Life is full of ups and downs but in the end, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be,” the newlyweds told ET. “We are so happy to share with loved ones the wonderful news that we got married! Hard work and God’s grace are the foundation of our new life together, and with the love and support of our family we know we can get through anything.”

In December 2016, the pair announced that they were expecting their second child and Palin gave birth to another baby girl, Atlee Bay, in May 2017.

The happy times didn’t last and Meyer filed for divorce in January, citing, “discord or conflict of personalities.” The documents state the discord “destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.” Palin and Meyer unfollowed each other on social media, but things seemed relatively amicable. The parents spent Easter together and appeared to keep details of their split private relative to previous breakups.

However, they look almost too friendly. They have each posted cozy photos on Instagram that lead many to wonder if they are back together.